


Next Door Neighbor. (Cats. Only Cats.)

by danbaihe



Series: Next Door Neighbor (keep you close) [1]
Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Broken Engagement, Cheating, Crying, Engagement, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Cheating, M/M, Marriage, Men Crying, Multi, YouTube
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2020-05-14
Packaged: 2021-03-02 16:53:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24180127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danbaihe/pseuds/danbaihe
Summary: "Uhm...Hyung...you must've heard a movie."  Jisung said, a bit embarrassed.  "It's not that….well I mean we haven't...we were gonna wait until...yeah."  Jisung found himself stumbling over his words.  "I wasn't even home last night.  I was at Changbin's."OrIn which Jisung suffers and Chan and Minho are there to make it better
Relationships: Bang Chan/Han Jisung | Han, Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Han Jisung | Han & Park Chaeyoung | Rosé, Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know
Series: Next Door Neighbor (keep you close) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1822705
Comments: 12
Kudos: 236





	Next Door Neighbor. (Cats. Only Cats.)

**Author's Note:**

> The ending is so shitty I'm sorry I rushed it lmao the original plan was going to go much differently.
> 
> Also it's paced so shitty I'm sorry it's 5 am I havent slept

Jisung and Chaeyoung were happy.

At least, Jisung liked to think so.

They had been together since they were teens, they were patient with each other, understanding. They had saved up and gotten an apartment together soon after they graduated high school and were starting their new lives as college students. Here they were, together in Las Vegas, some of the Korean Americans that tended to be on the more Korean side of the spectrum. Despite having citizenship, Jisung and Chaeyoung's families raised both of them in Korea, and funnily enough that's how they met. But that's a story for another time.

This story...no this story is about how they broke apart.

Jisung was in his fourth year of music production while Chaeyoung was in her fifth year of law school. The two had managed with seeing each other at odd times, and Jisung managed to get a couple of side gigs and had a YouTube channel to keep his income flowing, whereas Chaeyoung was occasionally working on her campus when she could between classes or after studying. They had managed to pay their bills on time in their surprisingly nice apartment, and everything worked out.

Jisung had put a lot of hard work into his YouTube channel. He mostly did vlogs or music production videos, but occasionally he did something else, like a story time or a small skit. His channel tended to be a bit diverse in it's content, as he also had a small gift for cinematography. There was a lot of film shit in there, even if he didn't mean for there to be. Road trips were recorded beautifully, vacations in 1040p. He had almost a million subscribers and he was excited for if he ever actually got there.

There was another channel, similar to his, that he loved to watch. The channel name was currently CB & Li (it had once been LINO97, Lee Minho's cats (+Chan), Bang Lino [had to be changed for the innuendo], and more that Jisung couldn't remember off the top of his head). 

The channel consisted of a married gay couple (Bang Chan and Minho), who were fathers of three cats, a dog, and Jisung's heart. It was almost funny first glancing at their channel. You would assume they had the Rebel meets Goody two shoes kind of thing going on, but you wouldn't assume it with the right people. Bang Chan had tattoos, piercings, muscle and bleach blonde hair and was the most cuddly person Jisung had ever known to exist (that's a lie. Lee Felix exists.), and Jisung often rewatched a couple of vlogs they made when they lived in a summer home in Italy, because that was where the most soft Chan content was. Chan sleeping with their pets cuddled to him on their bed. Chan waking up after a nap and clinging to Minho for the better part of an hour. Things like that.

And then, there was Minho. Minho who was brown haired, polite to old ladies on the street, and a little more conservative of his looks. He was also very mischievous and pulled pranks on his friends all the time. He cared only for his cats and Chan, and would prove it to you if you dare insinuate he would love something else as much. He doesn't. It's just your imagination. And his thighs. Jisung is not one to thirst after a married man, especially when he's in a relationship of his own, but goddamn those thighs. If Minho told him he could be choked by his thighs, but only if he ensured the destruction of earth and everything on it, Jisung would gladly blow the planet out of the sky.

Like Jisung's channel, the two had their artistic videos (ex. Chan's music producing stuffs, Minho's dancing videos, occasional sketch videos), but mostly did things like vlogs or activities with their friend groups. Jisung wished he could do that with his friends, but he only had one friend, who his audience loved by no doubt, but he never wanted to pester Felix too much about it.

Speaking of CB & Li, they had just posted a new video. Jisung decided to watch it on his way out the apartment to the studio. He grabbed his bag and airpods. 

"Chae! I'm going out to the studio! I'll be back home late so don't wait for me for dinner!" Jisung said, and he heard a small "Okay!" yelled back, and Jisung took that as a sign to head out, throwing his shoes on and turning his attention to his phone after he locked the door.

Except he managed to walk straight into a pile of boxes and tumble over with them as well. Jisung let out a short yell as a shooting pain flared up his ankle and he came into harsh contact with a piece of cardboard and the hardwood floor of the apartment hall.

"Oh my god are you okay?" A male voice asked and Jisung groaned in response, not even bothering to open his eyes yet. His ankle hurt way too much. Yikes.

There was a small voice in the background and the sound of something moving around, before another person seemed to join them. That was when Jisung opened his eyes and-

No way.

No freaking way.

Bleach blonde hair, tattoos, a septum piercing, ear piercings...it was-

"Hi! I'm Bang Chan. Me and my husband were moving in- I'm so sorry you tripped on our boxes-" he quickly apologized and Jisung simply bowed and shook his head, already forcing himself to get up. "No no no, it's my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going and- ack!" Jisung fell back into the pile of boxes as pain shot up his right leg and he groaned, not wanting to move now that he was down a second time. Chan seemed to chuckle. "Here- let me help you inside. Minho can take a look at that." He said, and Jisung froze as the other basically picked him up.

"Minho?" Jisung asked.

"Minho- ah, right, my husband." Chan said, smiling.

"Oh. Minho." Jisung nodded and for some reason kind of curled into himself instinctively. What were Minho and Bang Chan doing in the apartment next to his? Jisung stayed silent as he tried to figure it out. As soon as he was set on the couch, Bang Chan seemed to disappear for a moment to go get his husband. And then Jisung was alone. In Bang Chan and Lee Minho's apartment. What the fuck.

What the fuck, what the fuck, what the-

"Mreow."

Jisung looked down to see a large orange cat jump on his lap and he grunted softly and smiled. "Why hello. How can I help you today?" He asked, not even realising that she was soon followed by another orange cat. As Jisung pet the first, at some point his elbow was aggressively head-butt by the second, who also wanted to receive petting by the man. He obliged and it soon became a little tug of war between the two. Jisung couldn't help but giggle.

"Aren't you two adorable hmm?" Jisung asked, petting them with both hands, and they called down almost instantly, comfortably curled into either side of the tiny male. He thought he had done a good job preventing further conflict. Then, a third, tiny cat in comparison sat in front of him, with big, huge eyes. 

Fuck.

"Hello." He whispered to the third cat, giving her a small smile. "I'm Jisung. What's your name?" He asked.

"Dori." A new voice called, and his head whipped up to see a man with brown hair, brown eyes, and big muscular thighs smiling at him. "The little one is Dori. She's the youngest. I'm Minho. And you're…?" Minho tilted his head, setting a first aid kit down on the table. 

"Jisung. Han Jisung." He bowed his head. 

"You know, usually my cats would scratch the first stranger they see in the doorway." Minho said, chuckling. "They took an instant liking to you. You're just lucky our dog is sleeping, she would have sat on your lap and forced you to give her affection. But that's just how Berry is." Minho explained with a chuckle, politely but forcefully shooing his cats away from Jisung, who just chuckled. Minho pat his lap and for a minute, Jisung looked at him confused. "What?" He asked, and Minho pointed to his leg. Jisung blushed of embarrassment as he lifted his leg on the other's lap, letting a small "Oh. Haha." And averting his eyes.

Minho pulled his pant leg up and gently felt around the other's ankle, only stopping when Jisung flinched and let out a small hiss. Minho frowned. "You are one clumsy man Mr. Han. It's sprained. And bruised." Minho said, taking bandages out from his first aid kit and wrapping them firmly around Jisung's ankle and foot so it wouldn't move as much. Jisung let out a small laugh.

"Ha. Yeah. My girlfriend gets on me about it all the time. My attention span is a little shit." Jisung admitted, bowing his head out of nervousness and embarrassment. Minho laughed.

"I get it man. I'm a dancer and every time I get injured Chan likes to fuss over me in the weirdest ways possible. Being in a relationship does that to you, you know?" He said, smiling. He pat Jisung's foot softly, and Jisung muttered a small thank you as the other fashioned the guest slipper on his foot like it was specifically made for him. He smiled.

"Do you want anything to eat? Drink? I've just been making myself tea and I have some cookies that go really well with it." Minho said. Jisung's first reaction was to decline the offer, but then he paused. He didn't really have friends, and it would be nice to get to know the two. Even if he watches their videos from time to time. He was genuinely interested in them from the acts of kindness they showed. He smiled at Minho and chuckled. "A cup of tea would be lovely. Thank you."

"Of course."

And so that's how Jisung spent the better part of his day next door. Seriously. Minho just kept offering him food, and Chan said it was his way of showing affection to someone (which apparently the process had been significantly sped up by the fact that Minho's cats were already big fans of Jisung). Jisung and Chan talked a lot about music production, and were surprised to know they had a couple of friends in common (Felix and Changbin, of course). Jisung gave them a shortened version of his life story and how he ended up where he is now, and Chan and Minho told him about how they ended up traveling in return, but they're looking for a place to settle down and always return to. Jisung admitted he always wanted to go traveling, but didn't have the funds for it.

At some point, it got late enough that it was dinner time. Jisung said he should've been leaving, knowing Chaeyoung would be happy to have him back early, but Minho insisted that he stayed and invited his girlfriend over. Hesitantly, Jisung did so, and then it was the three (Jisung, Chaeyoung, and Chan) at the dining table with one unpacked decoration on it, while Minho cooked the night's dinner. 

"So! What are you guys hoping to do after graduation? I'm curious to know." Chan said, between sipping at his can of ginger ale.

"A-ah." Both in the couple seemed to pause for a moment before Chaeyoung spoke up. "We were thinking of getting married after we had found jobs we truly liked and felt we could stick with. It's a lot of money though. And some of it isn't even planned yet." Chaeyoung said, blushing a bit as she looked to Jisung with a smile on her face. Jisung smiled back, chuckling. He doesn't know why, but it felt fake. “We’re already technically engaged.” Chaeyoung continued holding up her hand to show off the engagement ring Jisung remembers spending too much money on and not feeling good about it at all. Jisung smiled and put his own hand on the table next to hers so the other could see. They were simple gold bands with a square cut with a small diamond inside. His was slightly wider, and hers had a thin frame around the diamond, but they fit the two pretty much perfectly.

"Ah, you guys are so cute! Look at you two! I hope you guys can move forward with your plans and all." Chan said, a smile on his face as he praised the two. Right as Jisung was about to quip something back at him, Minho came over with multiple side dishes, setting them on the table, along with the main dish and bowls of rice. When he finished transporting everything over, he finally sat down with a can of beer in his hand, exhaling dramatically as he wiped his hands off on his napkin before looking at everyone at the table owlishly.

He made vague hand motions as he softly yelled a small "What are you waiting for? Dig in!" And Jisung did not need to be told twice. The couples were happily conversing over the rest of their dinner, and Jisung felt accomplished in making new friends with his neighbors when he and Chaeyoung went home that night.

One Year Later.

Jisung was stressed. He was so stressed that the word 'stress' might give him a sudden heart attack and he'll be spending his finals in a hospital room. He had gotten a deal for early graduation if he could prove himself to a very rich and powerful entertainment company. One of the top 3 kind of big. And so Jisung was stressed. Because for his final he had to make a whole album of tracks with vocals on them and stuff and they were going to be reviewed by someone he doesn’t know and Jisung is not sure how he felt about that. 

He had tried recording his vlog as much as possible, but it was just hard when life was hard. Right now he was recording as he stared at his computer lifelessly, before grabbing the camera and going to the kitchen. "I'm hungry." He murmured so that the viewer would know what he was doing. Did he just eat 20 minutes ago? Maybe. Shut the fuck up. He walked into the kitchen with his camera to see Chaeyoung already there, laughing at something on her phone. 

“Hey.” Jisung said, smiling. Chaeyoung seemed to jump at his presence, fumbling for her phone. She seemed panicked, but quickly replaced the frantic look on her face with a smile. “Hey. You scared the shit out of me.” Chae said, laughing a bit awkwardly. 

Jisung didn’t know what to do. Chaeyoung seemed like she had been caught in the act of something, but Jisung didn’t want to assume anything. And besides, he wasn’t the type of fiance to be jealous. Or at least not openly. So Jisung sucked up any assumptions he had and he forced himself to smile and laugh, shaking his head. “You’re always so easily jumpy Chae. A puppy would scare the shit out of you by blinking.” He said, setting the camera on the counter while he opened the fridge and took out a water bottle, some eggs, and turkey slices.

“Hey.” Chae pouted slightly and set her phone on the table face down before moving to the other and enveloping him in a small hug. He chuckled and responded by hugging her back, gently and kissing her. Well, not kissing. More like a few pecks. The camera was still on. Nothing too PG-13, you know?

Chaeyoung chuckled as Jisung had been on his tippy-toes a little to even kiss her, and she found the height difference adorable. Now it was Jisung’s turn to pout as he realized what she was thinking about. 

After a few more moments of them hugging in the kitchen, they finally broke apart, and Chaeyoung sighed. “The girls invited me to hang out with them. You know. This time Jennie is joining us too, and I’m glad. She’s needed to get out since everything that’s been going on. I’m gonna leave in like an hour.” She said, and Jisung nodded. Both of them knew that Jisung would just mute this part in the timelapse, so she wasn’t too worried about what she said on camera. “Have fun, baby.” Jisung said with a short kiss, before letting go of her and letting her make her way upstairs.

Jisung had been editing the footage from his vlog for a little under 30 minutes now, staring at his laptop with intense focus as he was going over which parts to timelapse. He paused as he looked at the moment he and Chaeyoung were in the kitchen and he played it over again. As he watched he could feel himself smile as he watched video Jisung hug video Chaeyoung and the two share a brief but love-filled kiss.

He let out a small breathy laugh as he watched, the two still as they hugged for a moment, before parting and kissing once more before Chaeyoung left the room. He then paused the video so he could go back and timelapse it, muting the volume as well and making sure the music track played over it. He added the clip to a little private video he had been making of all of his and Chaeyoung’s moments together.

And if when he published the video, he spent hours looking through the comments telling him they were so cute together, he wouldn’t admit it.

“Earth to Jisung?” Jisung heard Chan’s voice call out to him, and he snapped out of his tired trance he had been in earlier. Jisung sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing his temples slowly. “Sorry. Got lost in thought. What did I miss?” He asked, opening his eyes to see Chan, and their other friend Changbin staring at him with worry in their eyes. 

“Nothing much. Changbin was just asking how the song sounded with the echo on your verse ending.” Chan said, raising his eyebrows. “Uh...I didn’t hear it. Can you play it again?” He asked, and Changbin nodded, moving to his computer and pressing play. The song the three had been working on boomed through the speakers, and Jisung sighed and flopped back onto the studio couch, closing his eyes and letting himself feel the music. When his verse came, his attention turned to the smaller details in the song, the things Changbin had been asking him to pay attention to. When the verse ended there was a small slight echo, and it was pretty perfect, it fit in with the rest of the song so well.

“I like it.” Jisung said after Changbin paused the track. “It fits in with it and flows well into Chan’s verse. Let’s keep it.” He said, Changbin nodding, and going to save the changes he made. Then Chan glanced at the clock. “Oh shit. We have to get going. Chae and Minho are gonna kill us Sungie.” He said, and it caused Jisung to glance at the clock himself. Shit. “12:32 AM” was illuminating the shelf directly below the clock in the red color of the digits, and Jisung grabbed his bag with a newfound sense of urgency. 

“Chaeyoung isn’t here tonight. She went to visit her parents. Remember? You guys mentioned it briefly the other day.” Changbin said, and Jisung paused, before chuckling and shaking his head. “Doesn’t mean Minho’s not gonna kill me as well though.” He said. “He’ll either kill me for staying up as long as Chan, or for not keeping a good eye on Chan and enabling his poor decision making.” He chuckled lightly, making sure he had everything in his bag.

“Thanks for reminding me that tomorrow that I should check in and call her though. I think her mom is a little sick, so she’s worried.” Jisung said absent mindedly as he helped Chan collect his own things and passed the other his coat. 

Changbin watched the two rush around the small studio the three had come to know like a second home. Or in Jisung’s case, a third.

“God. Imagine being tied down. Could not be me.” He said, laughing as he laid back in his chair. “Having significant other’s you’re settling down with seems so nightmarish sometimes.” Changbin said, and Jisung paused, thinking about it. “Nah.” he responded. “I like it. I never feel lonely, I’m with the love of my life, and it’s a little...I don’t know. Gives me a sense of security I didn’t know I needed.” He said, before snorting. “You’re homie-sexual anyways Changbin. All you need are a couple of quote-on-quote close friends and you’re good to go.” Jisung joked and Changbin grinned, sending the other finger guns and laughing with Chan.

“You got me there.” Changbin said, before yawning. “I’m gonna stay here for a little longer, and work on some other stuff. You two have a good night though. Tell Minho I said hi. I’d be nice to come over for dinner again. He makes such bomb food I’m surprised you eat anything else Chan.” Changbin said, giving his two friends quick hugs, and the three laughing a little. 

“Bro I’d be dead without Minho’s cooking. Deadass.” Jisung said as they walked out the room, walking down the hall with Chan and waving to Changbin until he was out of view. 

Chan and Jisung made their way to Chan’s car, unceremoniously throwing their bags in the back, and sliding into the front only for Jisung to feel his teeth chatter. He forgot it had been getting colder, he wasn’t surprised if it would snow soon or something.

“Hey Jisung, can you grab my phone from the coat pocket and call Minho? I just want to check on him because I know the dumbass is still awake.” He said, and Jisung nodded. He reached into the back to find Chan’s coat, and once he did, he felt it up for the pocket. He pulled out the other’s phone, and unlocked it easily, before going to find Minho’s contact. It was under ‘LINO (ICE)’. Jisung felt himself smile a little as he pressed call and let the phone ring. He put it on speakerphone. Minho picked up with a “Hello?” and shifting around. He must’ve been doing something to not give Chan his usual “Chan I swear to god-” pickup.

“Sup babe.” Jisung said in his best Chan impression, voice comically low and heavy. Chan immediately laughed (he’s probably sleep deprived) and he heard Minho pickup the phone and snort a little.

“Hi Jisung.” Minho said, his grin heard in his voice.

“Hi Minho-hyung.” Jisung said, voice almost too sweet. “We’re on our way home, sorry for coming back so late.” He murmured, before moving the phone to Chan, who just gave a simple “Very sorry.” before turning his attention back to the road. Thankfully, the apartment complex was very close by. Jisung moved the phone back towards him and Minho started to speak again.

“You guys are killing me with the late nights at the studio. Please tell me one of these days you’ll be back on time? If Chaeyoung was here she’d be more upset than me. Granted, sleepy upset, but still, upset all the same.” Minho said, laughing a little. “I’ll just order pizza for us though. I forgot to cook earlier because the cats made a mess in the living room, and after I cleaned it up, I ended up cleaning up the entire place. By the way, stop leaving soda cans on the coffee table! It has a glass top and is ridiculously hard to clean stains out of, and I also don’t want to scratch the glass with the metal.” Minho said, voice strict through the phone. 

“Sorry! I’ll only drink them in the dining room!” Chan said a little loudly, making sure Minho could hear him. The car finally pulled up to the apartment complex and Jisung smiled. “Hyung! We’re here! Come down to meet us! Please?” Jisung asked. He liked walking with his friends, and after a pause and Minho going “hmmm.” for a couple of seconds, before reluctantly agreeing.

“I’ll be down in a minute. Let me just grab my keys.” Minho said, and shuffling was heard on his end, before the door opened and closed. “I’ll come to you.” He said, before hanging up.

Jisung handed Chan his phone after the car was turned off, and the two grabbed their bags and jackets in mostly silence, Jisung yawning slightly.

“Ah, I’m more tired than I thought.” Jisung said, yawning again and leaning against Chan as they started to slowly walk towards the entrance, and he could see Minho’s silhouette holding the door open for them.

“Ha. Well, the guest room is always free if you don’t want to sleep alone at your apartment.” Chan said. It was always offered to him and Chaeyoung. Now that the couples were good friends, sleepovers between the two were very common. Minho liked to come over to Jisung and Chaeyoung’s apartment and take ridiculously long naps with his cats in their guest room. Everytime Jisung asked why, Minho said with a shrug that Chan didn’t like the cat hair in either bed, and left it at that. Jisung doubted it a little, because the cats would often lay on Chan and not move for hours, even when he was awake, but he kept silent about that.

Jisung and Chaeyoung often slept over if one of them was travelling or visiting family. They both didn’t like being alone for long periods of time, and Chan and Minho were the warmest couple they knew, so it was often they ended up sleeping over. Both had an extra pair of clothes in the guest room, just in case. It seemed like now, Jisung was currently that ‘just in case’.

When they reached Minho, the man smiled at both of them, giving Chan a quick kiss in greeting, before walking with them across the lobby to the elevators. Jisung yawned again, and between the two, he felt oddly warm. Ridiculously comfortable. He could fall asleep now, but he forced himself not to. The elevator ride up was spent talking about mindless subjects. Mostly the three exchanging what their mornings were like, and Jisung whining a little about missing Chae, to which the other two chuckled and babied Jisung the walk to the married couple’s apartment. Jisung set the jackets down and used the guest slippers coming in, collapsing on the couch.

Soonie saw him and quickly jumped onto the couch, rather violently burrowing into the man’s side. He gave a small “oof” before turning on his side so that Soonie could curl into him like she wanted without murdering his torso in the process. He pet her slowly and smiled softly, chuckling. “Hi baby. Did you miss me? I missed you. Life is miserable without you.” He said dramatically, fake sniffing. Chan snorted. “Sometimes I think you love Minho’s cats more than Minho does. Then I realize it’s not physically possible.” He said, sitting on the end of the couch that was closer to Jisung’s head. Chan scrolled through his phone before smiling a little.

“Hey that new movie is out. Bad boys for life. It’s the English one you said you like Jisung. Wanna watch it while we wait for our pizza?” Chan asked, and Jisung gave a small nod. Chan cooed jokingly. “Didn’t think you were that tired Sungie.” He said, teasing the other.

“I’m not.” Jisung said, picking up Soonie and placing her on his chest, burying his face into her fur. “No words. Only cat.” Came his muffled voice from the soft hair that belonged to Soonie.

“What a mood.” Minho said, as he came over, setting drinks down on table coasters. Jisung reverted to petting Soonie as he glaced at what Minho put on the table. Powerade for Chan, and iced tea for Jisung and Minho. Jisung could’ve teared up and gone on a dramatic monologue about how Minho knows him so well and if he wasn’t wed to another, Jisung would wed him himself, but instead, Jisung let out of string of sound that could only be interpreted as partially as literally impossible for anyone to recreate, and partially as a cat and squirrel hybrid showing affection. Whatever it was, Minho seemed to understand and just gave him an affectionate smile. Right as he was about to sit down, the doorbell rang. Pizza.

“Ah- let me get that. Chan your wallet is in your bag, right?” Minho asked, walking towards the door. “Yeah!” Chan called, and Jisung heard shuffling around before Minho opened the door and exchanged pleasantries and small talk with the pizza guy. Jisung heard their conversation end with a quick “Thank you!” as Minho walked back to the others with the pizza.

“Alright boys, eat up.” he murmured, opening the pizza box. The smell was enough to get Jisung to sit up, and Chan let the younger lean on him while he let Soonie jump off his lap so he could cram a pizza slice in his mouth. Mmm. Plain cheese. The stuff of gods.

“Absolutely disgusting.” Chan said, watching Jisung and shaking his head. Jisung pouted. “Yoor nwt compwaining doee.” Jisung managed through a mouthful of pizza.

“I am. Chew with your mouth closed. Bad Boys for life?” Chan asked, looking to the other in confirmation while he pulled up the requested movie. Jisung simply shut his mouth and forced himself to chew, nodding as he did so, and not opening his mouth until he swallowed the slice (okay so he did pause once so he could breathe, but still).

Chan had three slices, Jisung had three, and Minho had two by the time they were halfway through the movie and Jisung was falling asleep with his head in Minho’s lap and his feet in Chan’s lap.

“Hey buddy.” Minho said gently. “Hey. Should we move to the guest room?” Minho asked. While having a sleepy Jisung on him was very nice, even his dancer thighs were slowly dying at the uncomfortable position the other’s head was in. 

“Chae?” Jisung warbled, to which Minho snorted. “I hope not. I wouldn’t look good in her hair color. It’s a hair color that literally only suits her.” He said, before scooping Jisung up in one swift movement. Jisung snorted at that and muttered a small “Okay Minho-hyung.”, while said hyung in question laid Jisung on the bed of the guest room, knowing the other would wiggle around if he needed to get comfortable. “Goodnight, looser.” Minho said, and Jisung simply groaned in reply.

“Is it possible to be homiesexual if you’re already gay?” Chan asked.

“What?” Minho stared at him as he made his way back to the couch, cuddling close to his husband, who instinctively wrapped a hand around him.

“I dunno. Nevermind. It was a stupid meme I saw on the internet. Hey, have you noticed anything off with Chae and Jisung recently? The last time we had them over they were a little more reserved and I mean, Jisung always pours his heart out about her and today she was only mentioned a few times in passing.” Chan frowned.

“I don’t know. I hope they’re okay though.” Was Minho’s simple reply.

‘Hey. kno ur comin back today, but I’m spending the night at Changbin’s. We have a thing due tomorrow and r grossly unprepared. Lov u.’

‘Ok. love u too bb. Have fun.’

Jisung had a long day. He had been working on projects all day, and on top of working out and editing his newest video for his youtube channel he was absolutely exhausted. He had ended up staying the night at Changbin’s and was just too stressed to really even notice the warning signs for how shit his day would be.

When he finally allowed himself to stretch and pop the air between his bones that had been sitting in place for much too long, he groaned as he felt a sharp pain in his neck. Ouch. Probably shouldn’t turn his head too much.

"Dude go home. You look like shit. You need Minho cuddles." Changbin said, snorting. Jisung looked to Changbin. "You've cuddled Minho?" He asked.

"Yeah…" Changbin let out a small shrug. "I mean it was before he and Chan...you know, were official or anything, and it was only a couple of times because Minho is bad at interacting with people if his cats aren't a huge fan of them but like...Minho and Chan best hugs? Minho gives hugs you can just vibe with you know? Chan smothers you. It's a nice balance out." Changbin said with a shrug. 

"Huh." Jisung looked down and then at the clock in front of him. "I never thought about that. Yeah I guess you're right." He said, chuckling. It was late into the evening. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could catch Chae and they could grab dinner. Maybe make a small updates video? It would be fun. He knew she liked being on camera.

"Nah, I think tonight I might order in with Chaeyoung. You know, maybe have a movie night? Takeout maybe?" Jisung said, chuckling as he thought more about it.

"Alright dude, suit yourself." Changbin said, chuckling. "If your soon to be wife does not fulfill your touchy needs, there's always the couple next door." He joked, and Jisung let out a small laugh. "Yeah haha okay." He murmured, rolling his eyes and heading out. "Bye Binnie!"

"Bye!"

"The number you have called is currently not available. Please leave a message at the tone." A robotic female voice spoke, before a metallic beep was heard.

"Hey babe. Just wanted you to know to uh be ready to go out when I get home. Nothing super formal, not even slightly formal...just kind of casual and comfy. Okay- Yeah- bye." He said, before pressing the 'END CALL' button on the bottom of his screen. Weird. Chaeyoung hadn't replied to the text he sent either. She might be napping though.

"Jisung!" Chan called out to his friend in the apartment complex hall. Jisung turned around, taking an earphone out. He smiled almost immediately at the sight of his friend.

"Hey! Chan! What's up?" Jisung asked, laughing a little as he watched the other jog to him. Chan sheepishly chuckled and half up a hand full of letters and coupons. "Minho sent me down to grab the mail." He said, and Jisung nodded. "Oh, I hope you have some good mail." He said, a bit awkwardly.

"Ah! Haha- thanks." Chan smiled and scratched behind his neck. "Elevator?" He asked, and Jisung nodded, bowing in thanks when the other pressed the button for them. The doors slowly slid open and they both walked in, watching the doors slide closed before pressing the button for their floor.

"So- uh, I know this is a bit awkward to bring up- especially because it hasn't really been a problem before…" Chan trailed off and looked to Jisung, chuckling unsurely.

"Hyung?" Jisung asked. "What is it? What's the problem?" He asked.

"Well, you were gone this morning when I tried to go and see if you were home, but uh, you think you could be a little more quiet when you and Chae...you know…?" Chan asked sheepishly, and Jisung furrowed his eyebrows together.

"When we...we what?" He asked, still not catching on.

"Well, you know. A lot of people who are like...particularly young and particularly healthy like to uhm...be...particularly intimate." Chan said, a small flush coming to his cheeks out of embarrassment. It took Jisung a moment for it to click.

Oh.

"Oh."

Oh.

"Uhm...Hyung...you must've heard a movie." Jisung said, a bit embarrassed. "It's not that….well I mean we haven't...we were gonna wait until...yeah." Jisung found himself stumbling over his words. "I wasn't even home last night. I was at Changbin's."

He wasn't sure what he saw in Chan's eyes. It looked like realization, maybe...guilt? 

"Jisung...I don't...it did not sound like a movie at all." He said hesitantly, testing the waters. Jisung seemed to laugh nervously. "Maybe she had it on loud? She does that when her friends are around you know. They blast any movie they're watching together. He had stopped in the hallway now completely.

"Why would she wait until you're not home though? It's like treating you like a roommate." Chan asked, eyebrows raised in confusion. 

Jisung seemed embarrassed. Is this something he should even be talking about with someone else? Well, It's only Chan. Chan is a bro. 

"Well...I don't know. I don't really...you know. And she said it feels too awkward if I'm home so she usually waits until I'm away, which I don't mind." He admitted, and Chan nodded. "Are you asexual?" He asked, and Jisung quickly shook his head.

"No, just...I don't know. I'm awkward around that stuff." He admitted. Chan chuckled as they stopped in front of the married couple's apartment. "Ahh. Of course you would be. Cutie." Jisung isn't sure why, but that bought a blush to his already red cheeks.

"Well, I guess if you could ask Chaeyoung to turn down the video that would be good too." He said, and Jisung had to laugh. "Okay Hyung. Yeah. See you later." He waited until Chan went into his apartment before walking to his own door.

Jisung didn’t know what he expected to see after Chan’s odd remarks in the hall and because of it, he paused in the doorway. He leaned in, and he couldn’t hear anything.

Oh wait.

Oh god please let this be a cruel joke. Please let this be a cruel joke-

He heard what definitely sounded like Chaeyoung's moans through the wall and another, unassuming Male voice, one that Jisung couldn't place. He forced his feet to carry him to the door though, and he forced himself to unlock it. He wasn't even surprised when he saw a man in a suit and tie, hovered over his girlfriend, dick in her.

Why couldn't it have just been a damn movie?

"Oh." He murmured as they tried to scramble to get off each other, hearing him come in almost instantly.

“Jisung-”

"No." He told them. What? "It's fine. You can continue.” What? It’s not fine! What the fuck Chaeyoung?? “I'll be taking a nap. Or- don't know yet." Why? Why would you do this with someone who’s not even that good looking? At least have standards if you’re gonna break the law and cheat- 

He averted his eyes as he threw his keys onto the counter, sighing as he took off his shoes. He glanced at the nice brown dress shoes next to his own dying Adidas.

“Jisung wait-”

"Chaeyoung, pack up your things and leave your keys here when you're done."

“You can’t-”

“I can.” He made eye contact with the woman who was supposed to be his future wife. Who he had been engaged to for five years. 

“Jisung it’s just a misunderstanding, please. I love you, I have since highschool. It’s just one big misunderstanding. Please let me expl-”

“What’s there to misunderstand about seeing you halfway down another man’s dick? I’m not an idiot, Chae.” He snapped, and the room seemed to fall deathly silent. Jisung willed himself to be calmer for just a minute more.

“The deposit is in my name. I thought we would never need such a silly reason to argue over it but it’s funny how things work out. Isn’t it?” He asked. There was no emotion in his voice. He was...numb? Not quite how he would explain it but it was awfully close. It was like it didn’t settle in for him fully.

“When you’re finished having a good time with a man I’ve never even fucking met before on the couch I bought you for our 3rd anniversary, pack your things, and leave.” He said, his tone sharp and final. He shuffled to his room and as soon as he closed the door he started to sob.

At first, it was broken, and just a single sob. Then it was another. And another. Until he was full on silent crying into his pillow, partially hunched over his bed in a type of despair he didn’t know he could feel. He was hunched over into the pillow, and was basically suffocating himself so he could cry loudly, body shaking as he did so. He felt light headed and dizzy and like maybe he should step back and try to compose himself but instead, he fell to the floor and continued to sob into the pillow despite it not properly muffling his sounds.

It was like this for 20 minutes.

Then he heard shouting. A muffled ‘what the fuck is your problem!?’, and then an even louder ‘what the fuck is my problem? God, you should not be the one to ask that right now. I didn’t know you had a fucking boyfriend!’ and so on. Jisung stopped paying attention as they got louder. The one thing he dreaded of this entire conversation was that if he could hear it, then he knew Chan and Minho could too. Almost as if on queue, his phone buzzed, and the screen lit up. It was Chan calling him. Hesitantly, he answered.

“H-Hello…?” Jisung didn’t mean for his voice to crack. It seemed to make Chan panic, and it wasn’t something Jisung wanted to do. Chan was a nice man with a lot of stressors in his life, and Jisung didn’t want to add to it. All of that was washed away though when he heard Chan’s panicked voice through the speaker.

“Jisung? Jisung are you okay? What’s happening? We heard a bang and then a lot of yelling and then...well it sounded like someone said ‘I didn’t know you had a boyfriend’...but we didn’t want to assume anything. Especially after the conversation we just had...is everything okay? Where’s Chaeyoung?” Chan asked, his concern for the male obvious. Jisung was about to respond when he heard a loud crash that he knew the phone picked up. He froze. What the hell was going on?

“One second Chan.” Jisung said, plugging his earphones into his phone and creeping out into the hall of his apartment. He made sure he was being quiet, and it seemed that Chan was quiet too, even though Jisung had earphones in. It was considerate of him.

“What the hell Chaeyoung!” The man in the suit growled, combing his fingers through his hair. “When we first met I asked if you were with anyone and you said just a little boyfriend! A little boyfriend does not walk in with a fucking ring on his finger that matches yours and act the way he did! Are you fucking married?” He grabbed Chaeyoung’s wrist. Chaeyoung, who tried to pull back and accidentally knocked over a plant- it was one of Jisung’s favourites and the plant and pot was a gift from his mother back in Malaysia. Chaeyoung gasped and seemed to stare at the now broken orange and red stained ceramic on the ground, before the man in the suit tightened his grip on her and she started to push him away. 

“Don’t fucking touch me!” She yelled. “Get away from me! Get away! I should’ve never talked to you in the first place! Now this- this is all!” Chaeyoung gestured wildly around the room and started sobbing. “This is all ruined!” She cried, before being cut off with a scream. The man in the suit had pushed her back against the broken pot pieces, and now the woman lay, disheveled in a half buttoned up shirt and wrinkled skirt, bleeding from her legs and hands.

Something inside Jisung snapped.

“You ruined this all yourself you whore!” The man in the suit started, raising his hand to hit her, but the hit never came. Jisung found himself holding the other man’s arm in pace, and when the man seemed to realize his hand never came down, he turned to see Jisung, shocked at his own actions.

"If you know what's fucking good for you, you'll get out of my way, pretty boy." The man said, and Jisung sneered in reply, forcing the man's hand back. So workouts with Chan and Changbin really did make a difference, Huh?

"Pretty boy?" He scoffed. "Get the fuck out of my apartment, asshole." He said. "I'll call the cops if you try anything else." He threatened, phone shaking slightly in his hand. Chaeyoung just looked scared. Yes he was angry with her but that doesn't mean he would let her get harmed.

"Excuse me? Do you know what I could do to you?" The man asked.

"I don't think I really care." Jisung said, and the other man punched him. Jisung dropped his phone and coughed, but it definitely wasn't enough to push him down. Even if it was, years of martial arts stopped him from having any major injury. He wasn't really aware of the fact that Chan had probably heard everything.

"Do it again. Please. Then anything I do will be considered self defense." He threatened, and the other seemed to take that as an invitation to try and punch Jisung in the face. He failed. Mostly because Jisung had deflected the punch and grabbed his arm, but also because both were caught off guard by the apartment door bursting in.

The stranger seemed to take that as an invitation to try and throw yet another vase, but this time at Jisung, and Jisung just barely managed to cover his face from the impact. It did cut him though and he cried out.

"Jisung!"

Everything that happened after that was a blur. Jisung was definitely seeing red, and at some point someone had pulled him back. At some point he also fell. He's not really sure. He's just aware that at some point Chan and Minho were there, and the police were called on the man who was now passed out on the floor.

"Maybe next time don't knock someone out of my god what happened?" Minho asked, fussing around the two that now were sitting on the couch, looking somewhat daized and disheveled. Jisung had made sure he was at the end of the couch at least.

Chan was waiting for the police to come in, and looked between the two. "What the actual fuck happened?" He asked, trying to get something out of the two. They couldn't even look each other in the eye, let alone Chan. 

"Chae. What happened? You were the first to get injured right?" Chan asked and Jisung scoffed. 

Chaeyoung looked to Jisung wish guilt evident on her face.

"What-"

"I can't believe you would cheat on me with someone who was abusive for fucking sex Chaeyoung. If you needed it that badly I would've been willing to talk." Jisung spat. And just like that, the room fell silent.

"He's not abusi-"

"He could've done worse than give you a few cuts from a vase. He was planning to do worse to me. But yes, the man isn't abusive and I've just been a shit boyfriend and fiance to you since highschool." Jisung spat venomously, and Chan and Minho weren't sure what to do.

"Jisung maybe let's-"

"Let's what? Calm down? Rethink? Maybe I didn't see another dude's dick in my girlfriend, maybe they were fucking- i don't know- playing legos." No one had ever seen Jisung this mad or upset. Including Jisung. 

"And now she can't even leave. She can't even leave the house because the cops are on their way and we have to explain to him how he-" Jisung rudely gestured to the guy on the table "was not only part of a cheating scheme but was also beating up someone who I thought loved me and cared about me, when she wouldn't have even been in this situation in the first place if that was the case." He said, voice cracking at the end. One tear. Then two. Then three. Then Jisung started to sob, and wordlessly, he went back to his room and shut the door. The silence was deafening so he tried to play a little music but his hands were shaking as he hovered over his phone's music app and eventually he just had his head in his pillow. There was a soft knocking at the door. 

"Jisung?"

"No."

"Jisung." The door opened and Jisung hid his face into his pillow. He was still shaking and sobbing.

"Jisung I just want to talk to you for a moment okay?" It was Minho. Chan must be with Chaeyoung. Jisung knew out of the two of the older couple, it was more reasonable for Chan to be with Chaeyoung, because Minho would either leave of his own free will or insult Chaeyoung while bandaging up and neither were really called for in this situation. Jisung honestly wished he had both with him, but if he did, Chaeyoung would try to run because she technically commuted a crime as well.

So, in defeat, Jisung gave out a small and simple "Okay." 

Minho sat next to him and hugged him. "My cats would probably make you feel better than just me, but we're gonna have to do with me right now. Is that okay?" He asked, and after a moment, Jisung nodded.

"Jisung, I- I'm so sorry. This sucks so much. I don't even know where to begin." Minho said. "Nothing excuses cheating." He said. "Nothing excuses abuse either." He murmured.

"I know It's asking a lot of you but do you think you could be calm with Chaeyoung for a few more minutes? I don't want the police to come and get the wrong idea. Or for your wounds to not be treated properly." Minho said. Jisung looked like he was about to say no before Minho continued.

"If you want for the next few nights you can stay with us since you don't like being alone. We can help you with whatever you need, whether it's moving somewhere else, or just getting a roomate. Stuff doesn't look good right now Jisung but it will get better." Minho said, hugging the sobbing man close. Jisung felt bat that he was soaking the other's shirt, but oh well.

"I- I- just don't get it." Jisung admitted. "I tried so hars to make chae comfortable all the time- we never were type to argue and I just wanted her to be happy." It wasn't that this relationship was Jisung's entire life, no, he was just a little...hyperfocused on certain things. Minho listened and showed more concern for Jisung than Chaeyoung. 

"Jisung, did you actually ever do anything for you? Or her for you?" Minho asked slowly. Jisung thought about it. "Well of course- there was-" he had to pause. "The birthday party she threw for me." He said, thinking back through the year. 

"You mean the one that was thrown at my and Chan's apartment with a cake Chamgbin's boyfriend baked?" Oh. Yeah. "She...we went on the lake outing on our anniversary. I told you about it remember? With the nice cabin?"

"Didn't she invite her friends on that outing?" Minho asked, and just like that it came crumbling down on Jisung. Chaeyoung was shit at relationships. And even if she was trying she was still shit at it. And Jisung let it happen. For years. Since highschool. God.

If Jisung sobbed into Minho's arms until the police came, not a word was spoken about it afterwords.

'Hey. We should talk. More than just me grabbing my things. Please."

'R U kidding me?'

'Please.'

'Fine.'

At first, sitting across the table from Chaeyoung, Jisung figured he could do this. But then Chaeyoung started speaking on the matter and Jisung lost all hope.

Well, before she even spoke, she had thrown her ring rather violently onto the table. Jisung had flinched. 

"Oh please." She scoffed. "Don't act like that scared you when you almost fought someone because…" Chaeyoung trailed off, before clearing her throat and looking down. "Look, I don't know. If you're going to act crazy or something do it now. I'm going to be living with Lisa while I finish my degree." She said before looking at Jisung, who was unmoving as he stared at the strawberry milkshake in front of him.

"What? What are you thinking about? Years of dating you doesn't make you suddenly closed off to me Jisung."

“You want me to act crazy?” Jisung asked, tone sharp and cutting in the heavy and uncomfortable silence.

“You want me to get up? Start screaming at you? Try to pull your hair out?” He asked, tilting his head slightly as his eyes were watering. He looked angry, but he also looked sad.

“I fucking loved you Chaeyoung.” Jisung said, voice increasing in volume. He wasn’t going to yell, but he was naturally loud. People were starting to look, but he didn’t notice.

“We were engaged for five fucking years. Five years where I moved in with you, supported you through law school, and spent most of my income making you happy. You know, now that I think about it, I never asked for anything in return. And you never gave anything in return. And I was fucking fine with it. I was fine when you forgot our anniversary two years in a row, I was fine when for my birthday you were late to dinner, I was fine when what was supposed to be a trip for the two of us out in the mountains together turned into a trip with your friends and me.” Jisung said, tears falling freely now. The entire restaurant was completely silent. Granted, it was a pretty small restaurant, but that didn’t help Jisung’s oncoming anxiety. He pushed through it anyways. He needed to get this out.

“I know everything about you Chae. I know that you refuse to eat certain foods because the textures feel different on your tongue and make you uncomfortable. I know that you were once in a dance group with Lisa and enjoyed it, but gave it up so you could make your parents proud with law school. I know that you obsessively brush your teeth when you’re nervous for something that you consider potentially life changing, and I know that your favourite table top game is chess. I know you hate being in Korea because you feel trapped, and even though you want to start a life here, you don’t want to feel that confined all the time.” Jisung said, watching Chaeyoung carefully. She had her head down and was staring at her food. But she looked up slowly when Jisung paused again, and he looked at the ring she had so angrily thrown on the table. He was full on sobbing now, he didn’t care. He picked up the ring and pocketed it, standing up and forcing himself to breathe.

“But trust me Chae. Trust me when I say there is nothing making me feel more trapped than being in a relationship with you.” He said.

He looked at her for a moment. He studied her face, her neck, her honestly worryingly thin body, her long reddish hair, and her wide eyes. He studied the way she looked at him, like she was sorry. Like she was desperate and didn’t want to lose the only connection she had that she felt was truly real.

“Jisung please. I-” Chaeyoung didn’t get to finish as Jisung was already halfway out of the restaurant.

'Hey baby boy. Want japchae tonight?'

'Rlly? I love you rn lmao.'

'Damn u rlly only love me for my japchae.'

'And ur cats. Don't forget the cats hyung.'

It had been two years. Two years of Jisung at first trying to stop himself from his habits of trying to treat his friends like they were the best people in the world as a coping mechanism. Minho had to tell him to stop after the 4th basket of in-home spa day supplies, snacks, and a bottle of wine. Jisung honestly thinks it was just because Minho was a light drinker.

He had a few incidents with Chaeyoung. At first she obsessively texted and called, and then she tried to go public and say he was abusive and manipulative when he hadn't been online for months, but any claim she had was quickly proven false by Minho and Chan, who fought her every step of the way. And just like that, months passed relying on the two, and Jisung couldn't have been more grateful they stuck with him through it.

Jisung ended up maybe finding out he was bisexual. That was interesting. And also fairly recent. Like halfway through the second year recent. He made an appearance on hid YouTube explaining everything and why he hadn't been uploading and apologized. His fans absolutely adored him though, and were sending him more love than he thought was physically possible.

And of course, he had shown up in CB & Li vlogs, so it wasn't like he had completely died anyways.

Today though, Jisung was snuggled into Minho, who was sprawled on the couch and also now a bed to the three cats that decided to join the two lazing around on a wonderful Saturday evening. Chan was vlogging somewhere in the house, although he later bought it into the living room, and it was announced with a small "I see five kittens on the couch...or maybe four and a squirrel? I'll have to think about that." He said, grinning. Jisung's only response was to whine and turn into Minho, who groaned, but more because Jisung moving had been painful for both parties, and not because Chan was recording. 

"I am going to die if you move again Han Jisung." Minho said, yawning as he played with the younger's hair. "Good for you I'm not moving then huh?" Jisung mumbled, and Chan came over to press a small kiss to Jisung's back and Minho's cheek. Ha, gay. Chan found himself being yanked down by the other two soon, and unable to get up.

"Shit. Well. I guess this is where I'll end the vlog." He said, the three saying their goodbyes to the camera before Chan managed to stretch and set it on the table, laughing at the other two complaining when he moved. 

"You two are so needy, hush, I'm done moving now." He murmured, smiling and kissing Jisung's cheek because Jisung's face happened to be closer to him. Jisung laughed and tried to kiss back, but he would have to settle for a small has peck for now.

"I hate it here." Jisung said with a fake pout.

"And I'm the queen of England shut up and cuddle already lovebirds." Minho groaned and Chan snorted. "You're..literally my husband."

"I said shut up and cuddle Bang Christopher Chan."

"Oooh you're in trouble-"

"You too loser."

"Oh okay I mean sure why not."

"No words. Only cats."


End file.
